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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Cold Water

Day 57:

Yesterday I paddled the short distance to Santa Marinella since the next Lega Navale is in Fiumicino which was too far. Today I had intended to paddle there, but I woke up with a bad stomach, probably on account of some cheese I ate last night that I picked up in Rome. To lose the contents of your stomach on the water is to lose all your energy, so I thought I had better take the day off than risk it.

The weather was sunny and the water so clear I could see the sea bed as much as 20 feet down. It was a nice afternoon.

I thought I saw my first dolphin of the trip, when a black spot came quickly out of the water and then back down near a buoy. My experience with dolphins is that they won't come up just once, but are constantly surfacing and submerging. I kept my eyes open to catch it again, only to find a diver in the same spot. I had seen his flippers pop up for a moment as he swam down.

Finishing with the warming sun still in the sky I decided I would practice a couple of rolls. If my River People dry top and NRS spray skirt were quality then I would have stayed almost completely dry. But even with my neoprene cap, I got wet while under and was very cold when getting out of my boat. The water is getting cold.

I was welcomed at the entrance to the harbor and made to feel at home in the Lega Navale here.